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New Patriots free-agent addition explains team ‘really wanted’ him

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:08:00 GMT

FOXBORO — Of all the Patriots’ free-agent signings and draft picks, only one has “no weaknesses,” according to Bill Belichick.That player is ex-Lions linebacker Chris Board, whom Belichick called the best special teams player on the Pats’ schedule last October. After the Patriots finished with the league’s worst special teams — posting the lowest net yards per punt and allowing three kick return touchdowns — it was no surprise Belichick pursued Board in free agency.The Pats separated themselves from Board’s other suitors by how aggressive they were, the 27-year-old linebacker said Tuesday.“In free agency, there were a lot of teams that wouldn’t mind having me, but there was definitely an emphasis and a priority (from the Patriots) to get me here, which I really appreciated,” Board said. “So that kind of went into the process of me deciding to sign here. I appreciate just the respect that I’ve had here so far.”Board ad...

Trump slams verdict, calls it a ‘disgrace’

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:08:00 GMT

Former President Donald Trump fired back at a jury awarding $5 million in a judgment against him saying that he doesn’t even know his accuser.In all caps he wrote on the Truth Social platform: “I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE — A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!”That lone post had thousands of replies and shares after just minutes of being posted.It came soon after a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996, awarding her $5 million in a judgment that could haunt the former president as he campaigns to regain the White House, as the Associated Press wrote.  

Mets ink former Yankee catcher Gary Sanchez to minor league deal

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:08:00 GMT

The Kraken is making his way back to New York.Gary Sanchez signed a minor league contract with the Mets on Tuesday. The 30-year-old former Yankees catcher exercised his May 1 opt-out with the San Francisco Giants after they elected not to add him to their 40-man roster. He had signed a minor league deal with the Giants at the end of March and slashed .164/.319/.182 in 16 games at Triple-A Sacramento this season.The two-time All-Star has veered far off the track he was on during his early days with the Yankees.The Dominican native owned a career .230/.318/.487 slashline during his rocky seven-year career in pinstripes including his spectacular debut in 2016 where he set the world on fire hitting 20 homers in 53 games.The backstop is an original ‘Baby Bomber’ as he was a key contributor during their 2017 and 2019 runs to the ALCS — which resulted in losses to the Houston Astros. Both of the two aforementioned seasons were his All-Star years. In 2017 he posted .278/.3...

PLUG AND PLAY: Lakers and Heat on track to run it back

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:08:00 GMT

Death, taxes, and both LeBron James and Jimmy Butler on a playoff tear.Those tend to be the three NBA inevitabilities this time of the year, as both James and Butler have reminded the basketball world, each now one victory in their respective second-round playoff series shy of advancing to the conference finals.It was only three seasons ago that these two teams met in the self-isolated Orlando bubble with the 2020 NBA championship on the line. Now, there’s a very real chance at an encore. Only 4.7% of teams in NBA history to go down 3-1 in a playoff series ever come back to win, meanwhile both the Sixers-Celtics and Nuggets-Suns series are tied at two games apiece.James, of course, won the title in six games the first go-round, simply over-powering an exhausted Heat team with Anthony Davis’ star power on full display in the series. The Lakers then spent two seasons outside of the championship hunt finding the right pieces for a second run out West. Butler was swept out o...

Patriots linebacker reacts to Aaron Rodgers joining the Jets

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:08:00 GMT

FOXBORO — A year ago, Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley had an up-close look at Aaron Rodgers during a Week 4 trip to Green Bay.This season, Bentley will see Rodgers twice as often without going half as far.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | NFL notes: Patriots great Kevin Faulk is bullish on LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte New England Patriots | Patriots TE Mike Gesicki connecting with Mac Jones, old friends in New England New England Patriots | Ex-Patriots scout, Senior Bowl executive Jim Nagy reviews Patriots’ 2023 draft class New England Patriots | Patriots Hall of Fame inductee announced for 2023 class New England Patriots | Guregian: JuJu Smith-Schuster already loves being a Patriot Asked Tuesday about now facing Rodgers as a division rival New York Jet, Bentley said the Patriots are eager to face the 4-time MVP.“Aaron Rodgers is definitely a fantastic quarterback, for sure. He...

For these stars, a mom’s influence helped give rise to a stellar career

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:08:00 GMT

Luaine Lee | Tribune News ServiceWith Mothers’ Day arriving Sunday we often think about the women who raised us and the profound influence they had on us. And celebrities are no different. Some of their mothers were encouraging, others proved examples – still others left their offspring to their own devices.Jay Hernandez’s mother urged him to follow up on a possible job as and actor. He did. But he as about to quit acting when he landed the part of Thomas Magnum on the CBS’ resurrection of “Magnum, P.I.” (Francis Specker/CBS/TNS)Jay Hernandez, star of “Magnum P.I.,” recalls, “My mom was the one that pushed me toward acting. She knew I had an interest in it. And my dad was NOT into it. He’s like, ‘This is not a good career path you need.’ He didn’t shut it down, but he definitely let me know that it wasn’t a smart thing to do; it was kind of a waste of time. After high school in junior college I took my first drama class. I met a guy who was a manager and work...

Transgender youth sue over Montana gender-affirming care ban

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:08:00 GMT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Two transgender children, their parents and two health care providers filed a lawsuit Tuesday arguing that a Montana law that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth is unconstitutional.The ban on puberty blockers, hormone treatment and surgical procedures applies only to transgender youth being treated for gender dysphoria, but that same care can be provided to cisgender adolescents for any other purpose, according to the complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Montana and Lambda Legal. The ban serves no purpose other than to “intentionally burden a transgender person’s ability to seek necessary care to align their body with their gender identity,” the complaint states. It asks a state judge to block enforcement of the law, which is to take effect on Oct. 1.The attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the complaint.Opposition to the bill by Democratic Rep. Zooey Zep...

Migrants flow north to US border ahead of policy changes

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:08:00 GMT

BAJO CHIQUITO, Panama (AP) — The long wooden boats packed with migrants in orange life jackets arrived one after another, pushed down the Tuquesa river by outboard motors. By day’s end, authorities had registered some 2,000 migrants at this remote riverside outpost on the edge of the Darien jungle that links Panama and Colombia.Some had vague information — from relatives, social media, smugglers — about coming border policy changes by the United States government and were hustling to make it to that distant border. On May 11, the United States government will end pandemic-related restrictions on people requesting asylum at the border — also known as Title 42, under which migrants have been expelled from the U.S. more than 2.8 million times since March 2020.The firm date was fodder for migrant smugglers to create an unnecessary sense of urgency for people making decisions with imperfect information.Fearing a rush of arrivals, U.S. officials have expanded legal pathways, urged would-b...

Texas mall victims include several members from two families

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:08:00 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — The people killed in a shooting at a mall near Dallas include two elementary school-age sisters, a couple and their 3-year-old son, a young engineer and a security guard. The victims represent a multicultural cross-section of the area’s increasingly diverse suburbs. Cox Elementary School students Daniela and Sofia Mendoza, grades four and two, were among those slain Saturday at Allen Premium Outlets, according to officials in the Wylie Independent School District. They were remembered as “the kindest, most thoughtful students with smiles that could light up any room,” Principal Krista Wilson said in a letter to parents.Also killed at the outdoor shopping center were three members of a Korean American family: a couple and one of their sons, who was 3. Another son was wounded and was still hospitalized, said Myoung-Joon Kim, head of mission at the Consulate of the Republic of Korea in Dallas. The parents were identified by the Texas Department of Public Safety as K...

Head of ‘non-political’ B.C. group meets Xi Jinping at gathering of ‘fresh troops’

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:08:00 GMT

The head of a British Columbia-based group that says it is a “non-political” organization helping Chinese integrate into Canadian society travelled to Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping at a government conference this week.Chinese state media videos and photos show Canadian Community Service Association president Niu Hua attending the “10th Conference for Friendship of Overseas Chinese Associations,” hosted by the state council’s overseas Chinese affairs office.Niu is seen applauding with the group on Monday during Xi’s entry to the conference, which state media says involved representatives from 130 countries, and is also seen in a group picture with the Chinese leader.Chinese state media says Shi Taifeng — head of the Chinese United Front Work Department’s central committee — told conference attendees that they serve as “an important bridge and bond” between China and the rest of the world.Shi told the groups they are “fresh troops” in China’s effort to develop a “sh...